LoGo IVF

$7,000 LoGo/Mini IVF and IVM

During conventional IVF procedures, patients are given medication to grow multiple follicles. The follicles “house” the eggs. When the follicles are mature, (usually after 8 – 10 days of stimulation with gonadotropin therapy), a medicine called HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) is administered to signal the egg to prepare for ovulation. 32 to 36 hours later the egg retrieval is performed and the harvested eggs are fertilized in the laboratory. These treatments have been around for 25 + years (the first IVF baby was born in 1978) and the therapy is now considered quite successful and is used in a variety of clinical situations.

For some patients, the risks of taking gonadotropins are quite significant. For example, patients with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) are at relatively high risk for Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) when they are exposed to high levels of gonadotropins. In addition, for all patients taking gonadotropins, the monitoring to ensure their safety, is quite extensive, involving at times, daily ultrasounds and blood test determinations. Recent scientific advances, primarily in the laboratory, have enabled scientists to successfully mature eggs in the laboratory. “In Vitro” means in the laboratory, as distinct from “In Vivo”, which means in the body. IVM therefore means maturation of the eggs in the laboratory.

The advantage of this approach is that the patient will not need to take as much (and in some cases any) gonadotropins to mature the eggs in the body. This decreases the need for extensive monitoring and substantially reduces, or even eliminates the risks of OHSS. In addition, the monitoring needed to ensure patient safety is substantially reduced. This reduces the number of visits to the doctor’s office and accordingly, significantly reduces the cost of treatment. When one considers that the drugs themselves are quite expensive, there can be significant per cycle cost savings for the patients.

Immature eggs are not able to be fertilized and therefore, if one removes immature eggs from the patient, it is essential to perform IVM using sophisticated hormone preparations. In essence, it is as if the eggs, rather than the patient, receive the medication required to achieve egg maturation. As discussed above, this reduces the costs of treatment and therefore, can make ART (Assisted Reproductive Treatments) more affordable and available to a larger group of those in need. It has been estimated from demographic data, that in the United States, approximately 90% of those who need ART or IVF treatment, do not get it and the single biggest reason is the cost of treatment.

We anticipate that the success will be about 10 % lower than conventional IVF but we are not certain. It could be that they are equivalent. We were delighted when the very first patient we treated with IVM at New York Fertility Services conceived! This wonderful result was televised nationally. Since then, we have had many more live births from PCOS patients being treated with LoGo-IVM.

We will continue to monitor results In Vitro Maturaion (LoGo IVM) closely to determine how efficacious this treatment will continue to prove to be. LoGo-IVM™ will need to be compared to conventional IVF treatment and we predict it will ultimately prove to be the therapy of choice for a select subgroup of patients, primarily those with PCOS and those at risk for exposure to gonadotropins. It will definitely open a more affordable treatment option for many patients dealing with infertility.

This is a brief summary of the procedure using LoGo-IVM™. If additional information is needed, please contact our office at 212-679-2289, to schedule a consultation with Dr. Batzofin.

New York Fertility Services also offers a “mini” IVF or LoGo-IVF. This is a low medication, low cost IVF cycle that is a good solution for those patients who don’t need a high dose of medication to stimulate for their IVF cycle. Your protocol will dictate if this is a good treatment option for your case and Dr. Batzofin will be able to determine your protocol based on blood work and other pre-cycle testing. The cost for our mini, LoGo-IVF is $7,000.*